Talk and Not Just Speak
by speedfanatic05
Summary: There comes a time where you have to talk and not just speak...


Talk and Not Just Speak

By Speedfanatic05

Disclaimer: Not mine, don't have a conniption

A/N: Inspired wholly by James Blunt and his beautiful song, _Same Mistake_

A/N#2: Written for and dedicated to Mari, because she was one of the few who actually encouraged me to keep at this writing thing!

He watched her.

As he had done so many days before, he watched her as she walked through the door of the DNA lab, her white lab coat buttoned precisely; her long caramel colored hair flowing behind her and usually a smile on her face. He often enjoyed watching her, the mystery behind her brown almond shaped eyes, intriguing yet dangerously set in a beautifully shaped face, almost begging to be caressed gently. Horatio could say, with much confidence, that he was in love with Natalia Boa Vista. His only problem: she didn't know it.

Catching his hesitant glance, Natalia felt a smile coming on her face and pulled a loose strand of her hair behind her ear as she held the file in hand. Most often, she could feel the red haired lieutenant's eyes on her, sometimes even catching and holding his gaze before looking away her face flush with embarrassment. Her heart usually fluttered when she was in the proximity of him, her stomach tossing around as if she had just come off of a dizzying ride. Natalia could say, with much confidence that she was in love with Horatio Caine. Her only problem: he didn't know it.

"Ms. Boa Vista," he greeted with a short nod and a quick glance to the floor. Natalia's face formed a frown as she shifted her weight, wondering why he had to deflect his eyes when facing her. More than anything, she wanted to stare into those deep blue eyes forever, losing herself, and possibly her heart within them. "Ms. Boa Vista, do you have the Connor case?"

Finding that she was staring, she shook herself out of her reverie to hand him the file that she had in her hands, "Yes, I do. Common alleles are pointing towards a relative, possibly a brother."

Horatio leafed through the file, his attention not fully on the information in front of him. His mind raced with the tension radiating from her, as his eyes slowly worked their way up to her face. A small smile came as he looked to her, nodding his head, "Good job, Ms. Boa Vista."

"Thanks," she responded just as her cell rang. Glancing away, she pulled the contraption to her ear and spoke a few words before snapping it shut and replacing it in her pocket. The entire exchange, Horatio regarded her silently, watching as her as she spoke , the way her lips moved, and the small dimple that appeared just before she hung up, the little attribute quickening his heart. "That was Eric; he has something that he thought I needed to see."

Horatio glanced at his watch and then returned his gaze to her, his eyes crinkling, "Call me if it's pertinent, okay?"

"I will," she responded as she turned towards the layout room, her hair swinging and falling back into place perfectly.

Horatio stood and watched, hearing the heels of her shoes as they clicked on the gleaming floor, sighing heavily. Soon, he was going to have to face his feelings for her, and then face her. Truthfully.

H/N

Walking to the Hummer, Horatio pulled out his keys, tripping the security lock, the wind blowing around him almost forcibly. The sun had been shining for hours now, and didn't show any signs of retreating between any of the clouds that now peppered the blue skies of Miami, choosing instead to beam brightly upon them. Slipping the dark glasses onto his eyes, he slowed his step, seeing her emerging from the building, heading for her own vehicle. All day, he had managed to circumvent her, even when he was face to face with her, he tip toed around the big elephant in the room, instead, pushing his desires down to the depths. The lab wasn't a good place to express his feelings for her, but at the same time, he felt as if his time was running out. Natalia was a beautiful, intelligent woman, who could have her fill of any man if she chose. To Horatio's relief, he was glad that she hadn't chosen just yet.

He watched as she got to her car, and then stopped, her eyes being adverted up and away, to an approaching figure, a bright smile coming easily to her face. Crinkling his brow, Horatio took in the sight of her visitor, noticing right off that he was a fed, if not by that cocky swagger that he held, but definitely by his attire. With a chuckle, he shook his head, then retaining his eyesight on the scene before him, watching keenly as the fed leaned in and kissed her, grasping onto her hands as they parted, holding on a second too long before he actually dropped them. A certain feeling rose inside of Horatio and he suddenly didn't know what to do.

Starting to walk again, he made it to the Hummer and slipped in, the familiar feeling of anger seeping in. Griping the wheel, he attempted to let the vision of her embracing another man slip from his mind, but realized that he couldn't. That image was now imprinted on him, just as she had imprinted herself onto his heart. The more he sat there, the more he wanted to get out and go to her. Looking at himself in the mirror, he sighed and then cast his gaze out of the window, his line of sight catching them as they still conversed.

"No guts, no glory," he breathed out as he opened the door to the Hummer, slipping back out. Closing the door, he readjusted his suit coat and walked slowly towards them, their conversation obviously becoming more relaxed. It infuriated Horatio to no degree at how familiar this man had been with her, despite never hearing a word about him through her conversations. Coming up on them, he saw as she glanced towards him, doing a double take before turning back to him, "Natalia, if you have a moment…"

"Horatio," she exclaimed as her eyes widened slightly, "is there anything wrong?"

"I just needed to discuss something with you," he answered back, placing his hands on his hips as he shot a look to the fed, "that is if you are free?"

"Actually," the fed spoke up as he stepped closer to him, "she was in a conversation with me."

"And you might be?" Horatio asked, pushing his glasses on his face more, a small smirk coming about.

"Mike Farallon,…"

"FBI," Horatio finished smoothly as he smiled even more.

Natalia smiled as she pulled her hair away from her face, then returned back to them. " Horatio, Mike works in the Narcotics division at the Bureau, he's been a valuable player and an asset to the Bureau." Her eyes sparkled as she spoke about him, "He's also been a good friend for a very long time."

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Farallon," Horatio returned stiffly. Following through, he turned back to Natalia, "Ms. Boa Vista, if you will, there's a case I wanted to discuss with you."

"The Connor case? I just handed you that file today," Natalia said as she kept her eyes on him. She crinkled her brow more, sensing that there was more to this.

"It's of the up most importance," Horatio tried again, cutting his eyes to the man. He could see the intentions that lain beneath him and then he looked to Natalia, "If you can get a way for just a moment…"

"Natalia," Mike exasperated as he looked quickly to his watch, "I don't have much time here."

Natalia sighed and split her attention between the two men, turning to Mike first, "Mike, I really need to speak to him. Give me a minute?"

Mike sneered slightly and sighed, looking once again to his watch, "Alright, five minutes, Nat."

"Five minutes," she repeated as she smiled brightly at him, "gotcha." Horatio snickered as Mike turned and walked a few feet away, giving him, finally, a moment alone with Natalia. She approached him, her chocolate eyes sparkling, despite her confusion, tilting her head in a silent question, "Okay, Horatio, I'm yours."

At the connotation of her words, his eyebrows rose and a smile played on his lips as he slipped his glasses off, his eyes instantly adverting to the ground. He searched for the words to say, being that he came under the premise that he was inquiring about a case. What he really wanted was the moment, the second to express how he really felt, and glancing at the awaiting fed, he felt as if he were now more under the gun than ever.

"Natalia," he started off, making eye contact with her, exhaling softly, "Natalia, there's something I have to talk to you about."

"Okay," she said, her voice alluding to her continued confusion, "I'm right here, what's up?"

"I would rather much do this somewhere else." Seeing her cast her gaze downward, he countered quickly, "What I want to say requires a form of privacy."

"It's just me, Horatio," Natalia said as she came closer. "Whatever you have to say, you can say it now."

"Well, I …um," he stumbled slightly. "Natalia…I."

"Nat, I've got to get going," he intoned irritably from their right.

Horatio lifted his eyes to the fed and then slipped his sunglasses on, the tone of the familiar nickname not being lost on him, "You're on a time limit, I see. Maybe, I can speak with you later on."

"Horatio, there comes a time when you have to talk and not just speak," Natalia explained as she centered her sights on him, readily seeing his hesitation. "Sometimes, you just have to do it."

She gave him a lopsided smile and turned away from him, walking towards Mike, her brilliant smile returning. Horatio watched as she took his arm and began to walk with him, their conversation seemingly starting where it had left off. Left alone in the wake of her presence, he was doing what seemed to come naturally now. Watching.

H/N

"Great! Simply fantastic!" Natalia exclaimed as she felt the wheel jerk to the left as her car slowed down. Pulling over to the side, she opened the door and stepped out, the traffic continuing to move at its regular pace, passing her rapidly. "Fabulous, a flat tire. As if this day could get any worse."

Pulling out her cell, she placed a hand on her forehead, and sighed, hoping by some chance she could get someone out to help her. This had been the icing on a morning that she likened from hell. Not only had she gotten zero sleep the night before, but she also promptly missed her alarm clock and spilled coffee on her outfit, putting her back even worse. And now, she had to contend with a flat tire.

"Uh, God, what did I do to deserve this?" she asked herself as the phone kept ringing. When there was no answer, Natalia flipped the phone down angrily and crossed her arms, glancing at the traffic as it sped by. "I don't need a call out, not right now." As soon as the words left her lips, her phone came to life and she glanced down, seeing that it was dispatch. "Just great."

The day couldn't get any worse for Natalia, or so she thought.

H/N

Where was she?

That was the question running through his mind when he arrived to the call out, and hadn't seen her arrive, and even after almost an hour on scene, she still hadn't shown. Surely, if something had happened, she would've called in. Wouldn't she? Horatio sighed heavily as he surveyed the scene for what could've been the fortieth time since arriving, hoping to see her coming. When it was apparent that she wasn't, he turned his attention back to the body, which was being processed by Alexx at the moment.

"Seems like she bled out pretty fast, there's a significant entry wound near her carotid," Alexx intoned, looking to Horatio. Noticing that he wasn't in tune to what she was saying, she arched an eyebrow and gestured to the body, "You need some alone time, Horatio?"

"I'm sorry?" Horatio asked absently, his covered eyes again going towards the billowing yellow crime scene tape.

"I was telling you about our girl here, but, you seem to be otherwise preoccupied. Something bothering you?"

Before Horatio could answer, he saw the crown Victoria pull up, a familiar face behind the wheel and an even more familiar face getting out of the passenger seat. When he saw her, his demeanor lit and he even smiled faintly, denoting his relief that she was at least alright.

"Excuse me, Alexx," he requested in an even tone. Turning fully to the outskirts of the tape, Horatio started walking, every step he took seemingly taking forever to complete. He set his eyes upon her, feeling his heart starting to beat more, almost as if it were going to jump right out of his chest. He had his chance yesterday, he would be damned if he missed it this time around.

Natalia looked towards him coming, a small smile appearing as she noticed him getting out of the car. With all other options exhausted, she had turned to the only one whom she thought could help her at least get to the scene, and within minutes Mike had been there. He walked across the front of the Crown Victoria; his glasses set firm against his face a small smirk coming.

"See, I told you I could get you here at a record time," he quipped as he saw the Lieutenant coming. "He might be coming to read you the riot act, Nat."

Natalia turned to him, furrowing her brow, "Horatio? Nah, he's probably wondering what took me so long to get here. Horatio's not like that, Mike."

"That's not what some of the boys at the Bureau say," Mike snickered as he pushed his frames against his face more.

Natalia shook her head as he approached an easy smile on his face. She stepped towards him just as Mike reached for her and pulled her back, turning her around. Confused, Natalia looked to him, "Mike?"

"I'm going to run, Nat," Mike replied, taking her into an embrace, kissing her softly on her cheek. Natalia relaxed a bit and returned the gesture and pulled away; watching as he slipped his glasses off of his face, "Call me if you run into anymore trouble?"

"Sure, I'm going to need a ride to get my car, if you're not busy."

"For you, Nat, I will drop everything," he remarked as Horatio came to a stop a few feet away from them, the crime scene tape providing a boundary. Mike walked back to the driver's door, nodding at Horatio, "Lieutenant."

Horatio acknowledged with a curt nod as he got in and started the car, pulling away, leaving her in the wake. The edge that he had while approaching, seeing them together, lessened and he gave her a faint smile, slipping the glasses off of his face.

"Ms. Boa Vista," he said softly as he looked to the ground, then back to her, "are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm okay. I had a flat and …I know I should've called in, but I was determined to get to this scene. I tried calling Eric, but he's indisposed."

"He had court this morning," Horatio informed as he glanced at her, noticing how delicate her neck was with her hair upswept into a frenzied bun. Tilting his head, he shifted his weight, "Why didn't you give me a call, I could've helped."

"Horatio…I didn't want to bother you. Besides, I thought you were already on scene."

"I hadn't made it yet," he answered as he retained his focus, meeting her eyes once more. "Just as long as you are okay."

"I'm fine, Horatio," she exhaled as she stared at him, seeing something behind those blue eyes. Her heart leapt in her throat as she broke her gaze with him, retaining her attention to the scene itself. "I, um…I don't have a kit…"

"I have an extra one in the back of the Hummer," he responded as he started moving, gesturing to her to follow.

Natalia did so, watching his confident stride from behind, her pulse jumping. As much as she wanted to follow her own advice to him previously, she just found it hard to convey what she was feeling. Coming to the Hummer, Horatio quickly retrieved the extra kit and handed it to her, the silence lying between them becoming thick with words that needed to be said. Clearing her throat, Natalia lifted her gaze to his, the desire to say something rising inside of her, nearly choking her.

"Horatio, I feel like…" she started as she looked past him, her hair blowing in her eyes. She really and truly didn't know how hard this was until she opened her mouth. Closing her eyes, she took in a deep breath and released it, refocusing on him, "I feel like there's something, you know…" she said as she gestured in between them. "Something between us."

Horatio sighed heavily, nodding to a passing uniform as he blinked, his eyes going to hers, "Natalia…"

Seeing his hesitation, she put a hand up, "You know it's alright; this certainly isn't the right time or place to do this. I'm going to start in. Thanks for the kit." She walked away from him, her head hanging low, and then rising to take a quick glance at him, her gait reminiscent of heart break. A moment had passed, and she found herself in the same predicament that he had before, just watching.

H/N

The sun began making it's trek into the western skyline, the brisk wind that was prevalent earlier, now dying down to a mild breeze as she stepped out of the door, inhaling deeply , her eyes on the road leading from the lab. After a day of dancing around the attraction to Horatio, Natalia just wanted to go home and relax, and try to convince herself to step up and confront the issue that was between them. She was devastatingly attracted to him, yet, he seemed unattainable, his work and duty coming before anything. Questions swirled about in her mind if that was the type of person she really wanted to be with, where other things were more important than her. Granted, she loved her work as well, almost to a fault, but she recognized that if her heart required attention, she was going to give it. Keeping her eyes on the street before her, she raised her hand to glance at her watch, her desire to see the Crown Victoria growing with each second. She hadn't seen Horatio for hours, but she was sure that he was still around, and with her doubts filling her mind, she didn't think it would be best to see him.

"Penny for your thoughts?" he asked quietly from behind her.

Natalia turned quickly, her heart thumping wildly in her chest as she moved a stray strand of hair from her eyes, "Horatio…"

"Waiting for someone?" His stance spoke to the heartache that encased his voice and she softened her own stance sighing heavily as he looked up the street to see him coming. "You know, all you have to do is ask, Natalia."

She chuckled, raising an eyebrow, "So, are we talking and not just speaking now?"

"I suppose," he paused as he smiled softly, exhaling, "I suppose we are. Do you need a ride?"

Natalia looked to see the Crown Victoria pulling up, its occupant waving to her as he put the car in park, she then turned back to Horatio, a small smile coming. It was now or never and she felt as if the moment had arrived where she had to be truthful to herself. The doubts drowned away when she looked into his eyes, seeing nothing but possibilities. She liked what she saw.

"Give me a minute?" she asked her countenance growing. Horatio nodded and she walked to the Crown Victoria and bent down as the window came down. He watched as she spoke with him and then stood back up, the car pulling away from the curb. She came back to him, her eyes dancing with mirth as her smile brightened, "Well, it seems as if I do need that ride."

"Follow me, then, ma'am."

Natalia nodded and started beside him, her eyes washing over him a small chuckle emitting from her. No longer where they just watching, now they were moving in tandem, towards a simplistic goal, now they were simply, talking.

Fin


End file.
